Falls and Fractures

No one wants to be this guy! “Guy” went into the hospital for a simple torn rotator cuff repair — too much tennis! Being such an active person, he decided to ignore the nurses’ instructions to ask for help when he needed to get out of bed. Woosy from the anaesthesia, and unfamiliar with the room, Guy tripped on his IV pole trying to get to the bathroom on his own.

Falls are a risk for all patients, not just the young and cocky, but also the old and infirmed — and everyone in between. Medications, fever, changes in blood pressure and oxygen levels, dehydration, head trauma, a room change, pain, fatigue and mixed up sleep and wake cycles can all cause confusion, unsteadiness — and falls! The result? Bone fractures, dislocations, bruising, spinal and brain injuries.

Other serious injuries, and some deaths, are caused by restraints that are sometimes used in patient care. In 40% of these death cases, the patient chokes and is unable to get free — truly, a harrowing situation.